233: The Lost Glorious Era

"What was that sound? Abdicate, who's abdicating? Did you hear anything just now?"

"I'm not blind, of course I heard it."

"Stop chatting, hurry and come outside!"

"What's wrong outside? Did something happen?"

"Oh my heavens, what is that thing? It's huge!"

"Stop talking about this and that being huge all the time. Our Base Leader seems to be about to fight someone!"

"Who? Who dares to fight our Base Leader? How clueless can they be? Our Base Leader has an S-rank Talent; even globally, he's among the top tier!"

"Yes, who would fight our Base Leader?"

"Do you see that thick, giant green vine? It's the owner of this green vine who wants our Base Leader to abdicate."

"What! You're saying such a huge green vine is controlled by a person? I thought it was some terrifying Pollution Beast and was already getting ready to pack up and run. Now that you say that, I'm relieved. Since it's about taking the Base Leader's position, it probably has nothing to do with us. After all, what does it matter who's in charge?"

"How can you talk like that? What do you mean, 'what does it matter who's in charge'? The leader of Hengtian Base can only be my Tianheng Gege!"

"That's right, besides Tianheng Gege, we won't recognize anyone else!"

"If you ask me, only the strong deserve to be our Base Leader. Otherwise, what if a powerful Pollution Beast comes, and the Base Leader is the first to run away?"

"I think so too. Whoever is stronger, I'll choose them as Base Leader!"

"You, how can you treat our Base Leader like this? You are protected by Hengtian Base, and now that Hengtian Base is in trouble, you're actually thinking of recognizing... recognizing a thief as your father!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. It's as if you can actually decide anything."

"Just watch carefully. We ordinary folks can only watch, after all."

In the sky,

The baby-faced young man, Li Tianheng, the leader of Hengtian Base, paused for a moment, seemingly communicating with someone, then waved his hand.

"Hmph, what arrogance. If you want this Base Leader position, fine. The other two, don't interfere. As long as you can defeat me, what does it matter if I give you this leadership?"

A fierce wind suddenly rose, sharp as blades, carving traces into the ground and rocks.

The sharp, invisible wind rushed towards the green vine.

A gleam flashed in Miao Qingshi's eyes. Without moving, the green vine beneath her coiled and slapped down at the wind. The hundred-meter green vine, with this swing, shook heaven and earth.

That gust of wind exploded with a roar under the strike.

However, the opponent's wind was formless. The exploding wind tore through space, bypassed the green vine, and charged directly towards Miao Qingshi.

Just as the wind was about to strike, its speed suddenly slowed. But at that moment, a wall of ice abruptly appeared beside Miao Qingshi.

"Ice?" Li Tianheng was puzzled. Was the opponent's Talent not plant-based? How did ice suddenly appear?

Before he could react, space cracked behind him, and several thin green vines instantly bound him like a zongzi.

"How about it? Will you abdicate now?"

Li Tianheng tried to break free, but found he couldn't. Gritting his teeth, he thought, 'Better to live a bad life than die a good one!'

He immediately shouted out loud, completely losing his image: "Old Man Xuanshan, see? I told you she's stronger than me! Sister, Sister, I surrender! I surrender!"

He raised both hands!

The old man next to him sighed helplessly.

The sudden scene completely silenced everyone.

No, he was so tough just now, saying he'd fight, and now he's kneeling?

Half a day later,

Miao Qingshi ascended to power, and even gained a younger brother who served tea and water.

After some understanding, everyone also learned Li Tianheng's identity. It was no wonder he looked so young, naive, and foolish; he was originally a freshman college student.

As for Old Man Xuanshan, he was an old law practitioner who had lived in seclusion in Shennongjia before the apocalypse. His strength was similar to the current Li Tianheng's. Later, through various coincidences, Old Man Xuanshan supported Li Tianheng in establishing Hengtian Base, intending to protect one side.

Unfortunately, Li Tianheng, a college freshman, didn't know how to manage, and his methods were too gentle, not ruthless enough to deter others, which led to Hengtian Base not being well-managed. As for Old Man Xuanshan, he had always been in the back mountains of the base, deterring the so-called White-Haired People from Shennongjia, and thus had no time to attend to matters within the base.

"White-Haired People?" Miao Qingshi frowned. What kind of beings required a peak combatant to constantly guard against them?

Old Man Xuanshan sighed: "Actually, if it weren't for the White-Haired People, it would have been impossible for you to take over Hengtian Base so smoothly. The reason I let Li Tianheng make a move just now was more to see your strength. The threat posed by the White-Haired People has already made it difficult for me to sustain."

"If you had arrived a few months later, perhaps we would have already moved from this location and prepared to migrate south."

Tang Ping's gaze narrowed. What kind of thing could force such a large base to migrate? "What exactly are these White-Haired People?"

Old Man Xuanshan's eyes were distant: "Their origin, that's a very distant story."

"Before the apocalypse, I also heard strange tales of White-Haired People in Shennongjia, but very few people witnessed them. Most were just orally transmitted legends. But people like me knew that these White-Haired People truly existed in Shennongjia. As for where they came from and how they were born, these matters have long been submerged in the river of history.

However, human history has not forgotten them... They were once a powerful race from the previous glorious era."

"The previous era? You mean..." Tang Ping's expression darkened.

Old Man Xuanshan nodded: "It's what we now call the 'old law'. These old laws once had their own glorious era. Ancestors comprehended them from heaven and earth, and with them, they once pioneered numerous cultivation systems, a true flourishing of a hundred flowers. And those laws comprehended from heaven and earth, all three of you possess."

Old Man Xuanshan stroked his beard, looking meaningfully at the three people before him.

"Sir, are you referring to Mystical Arts?" Miao Qingshi asked.

"Precisely. These Mystical Arts were the most glorious products of the previous era. Even in this era, they still possess their own brilliance. Although the rules of heaven and earth have long changed, and the spiritual energy no longer exists, causing the power of these Mystical Arts to be far less brilliant and powerful than in their own era, their power still exists. After all, they originated from heaven and earth; as long as this world is not destroyed, their power will always manifest, merely in varying strengths." Old Man Xuanshan sighed, seemingly regretting not being born in that era, yet also feeling fortunate to have witnessed a new era.

"Are those races somehow related to Mystical Arts?" Tang Ping mused aloud.

Old Man Xuanshan nodded approvingly: "That's right. Before humanity had sages who mastered Mystical Arts from heaven and earth, these powerful races were beings at the pinnacle of the world. They all shared one characteristic: they were born with a Mystical Art!"

"Born? With a Mystical Art!" He Zhixin's hair stood on end. He looked up, staring intently at Old Man Xuanshan, clearly not believing that anything could be born with a Mystical Art.

"You'll know whether it's true once you see them." Old Man Xuanshan smiled, stroking his beard. In all these days, he had never felt as relaxed as he did today, with three people who mastered Mystical Arts.